Elena Goode - Star of "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin"

This week Jodi talks with actress Elena Goode who stars in the highly anticipated HBO Max original series “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” from acclaimed executive producer / writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Riverdale” and “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), now streaming on HBO Max. “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” begins twenty years ago, when a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago...as well as their own. Born and raised in Harlem, NYC, bilingual speaker Goode’s first big break came at just 9 years old when she was discovered by a talent agent who ultimately booked her for a pizza commercial. Growing up with parents who were both philanthropic lawyers respectively, she was taught to save her money and that education was the most important thing she could give herself. She tested into the prestigious LaGuardia Arts High School and credits this experience as changing her life as it was a very socially aware and culturally diverse school. She attended FIT for college but missed acting and auditioning so decided to get back into it which is when she booked the soap opera “As The World Turns” – something that greatly impressed her Puerto Rican mother. She went on to film 192 episodes in 2 ½ years and was part of the first gay storyline on Soap television, playing a friend’s “beard” on the show (who naturally in Soap fashion turns out to also be her relative). She moved to Los Angeles and in 2015 booked the role of Nicole Young, Dr. Dre’s (Corey Hawkins) wife in the Academy Award-nominated film STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON. She additionally starred as ‘Ma’ in the HBO Latino original film ELLIOT LOVES about Latino culture and a young boy coming out. In her free time, Goode is passionate about advocating for Ocean and Sea Life protection.